Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley Hike – 2 Days / 1 Night

The rainbow mountain trip was a fabulous day out with absolutely stunning scenery. Carlos was a really friendly and happy guide which created a great atmosphere in the group. Had a brilliant day out:)

Me and my aunt signed up for the 2 day Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley trek. It was a difficult.hike due to the elevation, but our guide Ruben, was very supportive and helpful. The food, cooked by Alex, was delicious and plentiful. Grigorio helped us out when we were tired, by taking us up some of the steeper parts of the trail via horseback. We saw alpaca, llamas, chinchillas, ducks, and the landscape was stunning.

Overall, Salkantay offers carefully-planned treks with top-notch equipment and staff. We foolishly picked an extremely challenging itinerary for our first attempt at Andes hiking. We reached altitudes close to 16,000 feet and nighttime temperature was about 32F. Our guide Ruben was very patient with our frequent rest stops and provided coca and oxygen as well as lots of encouragement. Horseman Giulito (sp?) gave us a few rides on our friend Juanito at some of the steepest places at the highest altitude. Alex cooked delicious and abundant food. To reach the top and see the Rainbow Mountain and know that we made it was exhilarating. What a ride!

Salkantay Trekking was an incredible company to use for our trek! We explored the peaks surrounding Ausangate Glacier and camped close to the base of Rainbow Mountain, which made us one of the first to arrive to Rainbow Mountain the 2nd morning! Ruben, our guide, was phenomenal, set an appropriate pace and was stopping often to let us catch our breath (hello altitude) and check in on how we were doing! The food served was incredible and the entire team greeted us with smiles at every step! I would highly recommend Salkantay and Ruben!

We did the two day rainbow mountain and Ausangate trek with Marco as our guide and Elzban as our chef. We could not have asked for a better team or experience. The views and mountains were stunning. You get to experience being in the Andes with almost nobody around. And you get to rainbow mountain before any other crowds come. It was unforgettable being able to be out there in the quiet and solitude and enjoy the views with knowledgeable and wonderful locals. Would recommend to everyone to do this experience!!

So I actually did the 9 day Andean Explorer so I visited other archeological sites outside of the 5 day trek. I went to Rainbow Mountain and The Red Valley as well. For those explorations, my guide was Ricardo with Salkantay Trekking. Ricardo is amazing. He’s constantly smiling, is super helpful and patient, and has a wealth of knowledge about the places we visited and the world around us. We had some great conversations about plants and our connections to nature. Ricardo made this whole experience even better. Highly recommend requesting Ricardo for all of your small explorations with Salkantay. He’s awesome

Red valley is crazy cool. Its the rare gem of peru. Ricardo answered all my questions and was super knowledgeable. Thank you Ricardo!

The landscape is just breathtaking, literally and figuratively!! Couldn't recommend this tour more, especially with Guide Javier and Cook Julio! What a trip!!

Our 2 day trek to Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley did not disappoint. The views were stunning the entire way, and we reached Rainbow Mountain before the crowds so we were truly able to really enjoy it. Our guide Jackson was awesome! Very knowledgeable, and made sure we took our time ascending as the elevation on this trek is quite high, and the altitude can be a little challenging. We camped on the mountain, and while it’s chilly at night at this altitude, every last detail was thought of to make sure we stayed warm and comfortable. We were provided amazing full course meals, and snacks, and all of our belongings that needed to be carried by the horseman handled with care. It’s a very special way to experience Rainbow Mountain, and I highly recommend this trek.

I have no words to express how much I loved this experience. It's probably my favorite trek of all (mostly because how secluded and far away from civilisation you are but also because of herds of alpacas going with you). The views are absolutely breathtaking and I can't begin to describe how amazed I constantly was. The first day feels like walking through "red valley viewpoint", it's just so much more. I did this trek in the beginning of September and nights in the tent were already really cold. The altitude is no joke though - I was pretty well aclimitized as I spend a couple of days in Cusco and also did 5day Salkantay trek and I still didn't feel well. My guide was amazing and he helped me get through it, he always had an oxygen tank available for me (especially at night) but even more important, he offered a lot of mental support. I couldn't eat much but we had plenty of food that was really delicious. No toilets; we got a small water heater to sleeping bag that helped with cold. It was pretty hardcore but I would do it all over again; you get so close to Ausangate mountain and its just absolutely stunning. Despite challenging conditions, they really ensure we have everything we need and we can enjoy the experience. If you can get through the altitude, definitely recommended! It also gets you to Rainbow Mt early in the morning before crowds (and trust me, you don't want to be waiting in line for hours to get a picture, once you're barely breathing up there)